Still in the working process, I am having difficulties figuring out how exactly I want my pseudo magic system to work slightly.
The general concept that I currently have is that there are two different power pools, Tech pool and Biotic Pool.
generally, each class adds a certain number of points to said pool based on that classes current level, and can learn an additional power every few levels.
Example, the engineer starts with +3 tech pool, and gains an additional +1 for each level, and gains a tech power at level 2 (level 1 uses tech energy to summon drone), and an additional tech power every 3 levels after. The characters would regenerate 1 point in each of their pools (if they have one) every 30 seconds (equivalent of 5 rounds of combat). In addition to these base pool amounts, however, like with spells, their should be an ability modifier that makes these more beneficial.
This is where I am somewhat stuck. Obviously the ability modifier would improve the amounts of available max points in their pool, and increase the power or ability to ensure that the opposing enemy cannot resist it... However these pools are shared, so if a person went with the Sentinel Class, which has both biotics and tech, and multiclassed with engineer, which has just tech, I would want to make sure that each pool is dedicated to one type of ability bonus.
I was thinking Intelligence for determining the functionality of Tech Powers, however Biotics has me puzzled. While Biotics could symbolize using the minds wisdom to blow away another's, such is the way of the Asari Commando, there's the very strange oddities such as those who have been experimented on that do it more out of emotion, such as Jack, which would feel closer to how a Sorcerer plays who is based primarily off charisma.
Both seem like strong candidates to represent biotics, but the largest thing I am worried about is a stat that is a PURE dump stat that almost no one ever picks ever. How would you address this issue?
I made a ME d6 game that is pretty fun. It plays a bit like warhammer 40k but I used alot of RP elements as well. There are a full set of combat, tech, and biotic powers and everything is balanced so that no one class is better than the others, but a team can set up some powerful combos. Instead of xp I award individual points that can be spent on powers, stats, health, armor, and whatnot. So I guess it is kind of like a White Wolf/ Warhammer hybrid that uses d20 elements to flesh out the RP and out of combat actions. If I can find the spreadsheet I mapped it out on then I would be glad to share it.
Wes Schnieder of Paizo actually made this already. Check it out here. Should at least be a good start.
You could make biotics based on wisdom or charisma, chosen at first level. This would be permanent, so a cha-based biotic multiclassing into sentinel would still base biotics on charisma.
It sounds cool, the system you're working on.
While that could definitely work, I think having a base setting for it would likely be better. For people first getting into it, it would be along the lines of "ok, your making your character, what do you want your biotics pool based on?" At this point, they may not understand how biotics work, or even know anything about it since they may have been focused on a class that doesn't even use biotics. I could maybe have race determine what biotic and tech pools are based upon instead of class like in pathfinder.
I made a ME d6 game that is pretty fun. It plays a bit like warhammer 40k but I used alot of RP elements as well. There are a full set of combat, tech, and biotic powers and everything is balanced so that no one class is better than the others, but a team can set up some powerful combos. Instead of xp I award individual points that can be spent on powers, stats, health, armor, and whatnot. So I guess it is kind of like a White Wolf/ Warhammer hybrid that uses d20 elements to flesh out the RP and out of combat actions. If I can find the spreadsheet I mapped it out on then I would be glad to share it.
Sounds interesting, although I'm likely staying a bit closer to pathfinder elements rather than warhammer 40k. Despite that, I would still be interested in seeing what you came up with.
Wes Schnieder of Paizo actually made this already. Check it out here. Should at least be a good start.
I am already familiar with the fact that Wes has made one, but I'm refraining from looking at it till I believe I'm done with my own version of the conversion. I'm curious as to how close mine would compare to his in the end result.